Syphilis rates rise among gays; will increases in HIV follow?

Experts stress the need for public health departments, the gay community and physicians to work together to raise sexual safety issues.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Nov. 25, 2002.

Washington -- A new report showing that cases of syphilis are increasing among gay and bisexual men underscored alarms raised in recent years by several city and state health departments that risky sexual behaviors are on the upswing and could result in a new round of AIDS infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, after a decade-long decline, the number of reported cases of syphilis increased from 5,979 cases in 2000 to 6,103 cases in 2001. Although the numbers were small, the fact that they were concentrated among gay and bisexual men raised the specter of AIDS.

"Syphilis outbreaks among gay and bisexual men, while a major concern in and of themselves, also signal the potential for a resurgence in HIV transmission," said Ronald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPH, deputy director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.

Although there are no data specific to syphilis among gay and bisexual men, the fact that the increase coincided with outbreaks of syphilis among that group in several American cities led to the conclusion drawn by the agency.

Since at least some of those men are also infected with the AIDS virus, public health officials fear that the transmission of the much more deadly disease could increase.

"The data suggest that, although efforts to reduce syphilis among women and non-Hispanic blacks appears effective and should continue, efforts to prevent and treat syphilis among MSM [men who have sex with men] need to be improved," said the report published in the Nov. 1 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. [...]